"Already Removed" vs "Premature"…Tight Split Among Citizens on Mask Mandate Lift

Reactions After Government's Gradual 'Recommendation' Adjustment Announcement
"Fatigue Persists" "Ineffective" Support
"Not a Complete Decline" Opposition Opinions Also

As the government decides to gradually lift the indoor mask-wearing mandate and shift to a 'recommendation' phase, opinions are divided. While some argue that mask-wearing should be lifted due to fatigue caused by the prolonged indoor mask mandate over the past few years, others counter that it is still too early to lift the mandate, citing concerns over the trend of COVID-19 spread.

On the 23rd, a notice regarding mask-wearing was posted at a bookstore in downtown Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

According to the quarantine authorities on the 26th, the government announced on the 23rd a plan to adjust the indoor mask-wearing mandate and presented four indicators that serve as criteria for this adjustment. The explanation is that the phased recommendation adjustment will be made when the trend of COVID-19 cases stabilizes after passing the peak of the 7th wave, the trend of severe cases and deaths decreases after peaking, and the medical response capacity is stably maintained.

The specific indicators are ▲stabilization of case occurrence ▲decrease in severe cases and deaths ▲stable medical response capacity ▲acquisition of immunity in high-risk groups. When two or more of these four indicators are met, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters will discuss and proceed with the first phase of lifting the mandate.

Additionally, reference values were presented: ▲weekly cases decreasing consecutively for more than two weeks ▲weekly new severe cases decreasing compared to the previous week and weekly fatality rate below 0.10% ▲availability of more than 50% of ICU beds that can be mobilized within four weeks ▲additional winter vaccination rates of 50% for the elderly and 60% or more for infection-vulnerable facilities.

"Persistent fatigue" "Ineffectiveness" and other 'Support for lifting'

Some citizens express anticipation for this decision. They say that the prolonged mask-wearing period since the spread of COVID-19 has increased fatigue.

Park (31), an office worker living in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province, said, "I don't even know how many years it has been since I started working wearing a mask from the time I go to work until I leave." He added, "When it gets cold, I turn on the heater and feel stuffy, and in summer, I sweat, so it's uncomfortable." He continued, "I've worn it for a long time, and since the situation is not as serious as before, I hope it is left to personal discretion."

There were also opinions that they do not feel the effectiveness of mask-wearing. Kim (45), who has an elementary school child, said, "Even though we consistently wore masks, my spouse, two children, and I all caught COVID-19 last January." He added, "Since the whole family got infected and outdoor mask-wearing was lifted, we wear masks only because we have to, not because we feel the protective effect of masks." He further said, "We already take off masks before entering restaurants when going out as a family, so I wonder if there is any meaning in wearing them only inside."

'Not a complete downward trend' - Opposing opinions

On the other hand, some respond that it is still too early since the trend has not fully entered a complete decline. Yoon (50), a housewife living in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, said, "The number of confirmed cases decreases but quickly rises again, so I think it is too hasty to lift the mandate indoors." She added, "My parents had COVID-19 last year and had a hard time. There is a risk of reinfection, so I am still very concerned about taking off masks."

Meanwhile, the quarantine authorities explained that the recent decrease in COVID-19 confirmed cases is due to the cold wave and that the decline in the epidemic has not yet begun.

Jung Ki-seok, head of the COVID-19 Special Response Team and member of the National Infectious Disease Crisis Response Advisory Committee, said at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters regular briefing, "It is still difficult to say that the decline has started after a few changes," adding, "Because the weather is very cold, people move less, which may reduce the spread of infection."

He also explained, "Since the epidemic has continued for one or two months, we now see that the peak has been confirmed to some extent, and it is time to either stay at that level or slightly decrease and move toward a stable trend."

The number of new confirmed cases has decreased compared to the previous week for three consecutive days. On the 23rd, there were 66,211 cases; on the 24th, 58,448 cases; and on the 25th, 25,545 cases, all showing a decrease compared to the previous week.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.